591 



FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 43 



response to this directive, ONR has structured and staffed a system incorporating 

 Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRDAs), an Office of Re- 

 search and Technology Applications (ORTAs), and specialized programs for 

 patent license and shipyard and vessel improvement. Although it is unclear 

 whether the funding mandate is being met, the level of activity and results dem- 

 onstrate that technology transfer is not effective in the ocean science and technol- 

 ogy areas. 



Representatives of marine industries indicated to the conamlttee that there is 

 little direct involvement by ONR in commercial offshore research and develop- 

 ment activity. An examination of the few m.easures of performance available 

 (e.g., participation by ONR in cooperative research and development agreements, 

 number of patents licensed) seems to support this view (see Chapter 3). 



Recommendation: ONR should allocate sufficient resources to ensure the suc- 

 cess of technology transfer to the domestic nonmilitary sector in ocean science 

 and technology. 



TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AT ONR: THE ORGANIZATION 



Finding: Even though an organizational structure apparently exists to facilitate 

 domestic technology transfer by ONR, the existing process is primarily ad hoc 

 and reactive rather than proactive. 



Industries that do not have a connection to ONR find it difficult and costly to 

 gain access to information available at ONR. The perception is that there is 

 valuable technology at ONR but that existing mechanisms are not adequate to 

 promote the development of this technology for commercial purposes (see Chap- 

 ter 3). For these and other reasons, simply introducing financial or personnel 

 management pohcies may fail to stimulate the technology interchange desired. 

 There is a need for a new organizational mechanism that acknowledges that the 

 private sector is the best judge of what technology it needs, at what cost, and on 

 what timetable (see Chapter 5). ONR does not possess the experience and per- 

 spective required to make such determinations without significant input from the 

 user conmiunity. 



Recommendation: ONTl needs to take a more proactive role in domestic tech- 

 nology transfer in ocean science and technology. This can be accomplished using 

 a combination of strategies, including organizational realignment, electronic da- 

 tabases, newsletters, sponsored forums and workshops, professional association 

 meetings, personal communication among principal investigators, and funding 

 incentives within ONR for programs that facilitate commercial product develop- 

 ment. The existing programs intended to promote conmiunication between ONR 

 and the nonmilitary sector should be used to determine industry needs. 



